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Bloomberg
13 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Lutnick Says More ‘Horse Trading' Ahead With EU on Pact Details
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick cast many of the issues surrounding the US-European Union trade pact as still up for discussion, saying there was 'plenty of horse trading left to do.' 'Do I expect to continue to be talking to the European Commission's trade people? Yeah, they called me this morning to talk about, what are other things to talk about, digital services, taxes and the attack on our tech companies — that is going to be on the table,' Lutnick said in a Tuesday interview on CNBC.
CNN
43 minutes ago
- CNN
Trump's trade war victory is already under siege
The economy was supposed to crumble. The trade war was expected to escalate out of control. Markets were forecast to plunge. None of that happened – at least, not yet. President Donald Trump has pulled off what few outside the White House predicted: A trade war victory of sorts that sets America's taxes on imported goods higher than the infamous Smoot-Hawley era, without any of the damaging fallout so far. Customs revenue has increased sharply while inflation remains reasonably low. And America's trading partners, for the most part, have been willing to accept the higher tariffs without significant retaliation. Multiple framework agreements between the United States and other trading partners have jacked up tariffs on foreign goods imported to America while setting levies on US exports at or near zero. Overseas trading partners have agreed to open previously closed markets to some US goods, pledged increased investments in the United States and dropped some of what the Trump administration has lambasted as non-trade barriers, like taxes on digital services. But Trump's early trade victory may be short-lived. In fact, it is already showing signs that it may not last. The European Union, fresh off its 11th-hour compromise to get a trade agreement done before Trump's self-imposed August 1 deadline, is already in revolt. French Prime Minister François Bayrou called Sunday a 'dark day.' Hungarian Prime Minister and Trump ally Viktor Orban said Trump steamrolled the EU. Belgium's Prime Minister Bart De Wever lambasted the Trump administration's 'delusion of protectionism.' And Bernd Lange, chair of the European Parliament's trade committee, said the deal is 'not satisfactory.' The 27-member bloc has to hammer out key aspects of its framework, and the fragile trade truce between two of the world's largest economies could quickly break apart if sentiment turns against the arrangement. The Trump administration's trade talks with its northern neighbor and one of its largest trading partners have been effectively shut down. Despite Canada relenting on its digital services tax that the president has lambasted, Trump continued to threaten higher tariffs on some Canadian goods, including lumber. Although many goods imported from Canada continue to be tariff-free because of the US-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement, the USMCA only covers just about half of Canadian goods. So higher tariffs on Canada could raise some costs for American consumers down the road. And the fact that America is even embroiled in a trade spat with Canada in the first place is a sign that the recent cooling off in the trade war may not last: Trump negotiated and signed the United States' current trade agreement with Canada during his first term. At any time, even after an agreement is inked, Trump could turn around and decide to raise tariffs again. A third round of talks between China and the United States' trade negotiators is expected to result in a continued pause of their historically high tariffs on one another. But it's unclear what else might come from the discussions, and the Trump administration has grown frustrated by what it has described as China's slow-walking of its previous agreements. Both sides have aimed to reduce more regulatory barriers on shipments of key technologies. China has sought more access to critical semiconductors, and the United States wants the flow of rare earth magnets to increase further. But the Trump administration has tried repeatedly to speed up China's slow progress, claiming the country has failed to live up to its agreement to approve the critical materials for crucial electronics. Trump has also said he wants China to open up its market to more US goods – a desire that Chinese Premier Xi Jinping is unlikely to give in to significantly. Trump's rhetoric against China has cooled in recent months, but the truce appears to be on a knife's edge. A crucial appeals court hearing Thursday could determine whether most of Trump's tariffs are legal at all. For most of his tariffs, Trump has cited powers listed in the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. But a federal court in May ruled that Trump overstepped his authority to levy tariffs on that basis. An appeals court paused that ruling from taking effect and will hear oral arguments Thursday. It's not clear when the court will rule, and the White House would likely appeal to the Supreme Court if it loses. If Trump ultimately loses his ability to levy tariffs using emergency powers, he has plenty of other options – but legal experts have said those alternatives could limit his ability to set tariffs without Congress. For example, Trump may be able to impose some tariffs as high as just 15% but only for 150 days, potentially taking some of the bite out of his tariff regime. Although the US economy remains strong, with rebounding retail sales, a still-robust labor market and rising consumer confidence, there is some evidence that inflation in key areas is starting to creep higher – slowly – because of tariffs. That's a potential warning sign as the tariffs take full effect. The Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index earlier this month showed that some tariff-affected goods have started to gain in price. Clothing, appliances, computers, sporting goods, toys, video equipment, hardware and tools prices have been on the rise. And it's starting to become a trend – in many of those categories, the rise has been happening for a few months. Many major retailers, including Walmart, have said they will raise prices because of tariffs. And GM, Volkswagen and Stellantis all reported tariff charges of $1 billion or more over the past quarter. Economists widely expect inflation to pick up in the late summer and throughout the rest of the year as retailers work through the inventories of goods they had stockpiled before tariffs went into effect. No one expects anything close to the inflation crisis of a few years ago. But with consumers still dealing with price-hike PTSD, that won't be a welcome change from the return to healthy inflation levels over the past year.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump Official Says More Talks Needed to Clinch India Deal
(Bloomberg) -- US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said 'more negotiations' will be needed with India on a trade deal just days before an Aug. 1 deadline for higher tariffs. Budapest's Most Historic Site Gets a Controversial Rebuild San Francisco in Talks With Vanderbilt for Downtown Campus Can This Bridge Ease the Troubled US-Canadian Relationship? Trump Administration Sues NYC Over Sanctuary City Policy Washington needs additional talks to gauge how ambitious India's government is willing to be to secure a trade agreement, Greer said in an interview on CNBC on Monday. He acknowledged he had previously suggested a deal with New Delhi might be imminent, but highlighted that India's historic policy of strongly protecting its market meant that reducing barriers would represent a major reversal. 'We continue to speak with our Indian counterparts, we've always had very constructive discussions with them,' he said. The comments indicate that India's hopes of securing an interim trade deal before the Aug. 1 deadline are fading as New Delhi and Washington are yet to find a common ground on contentious issues. While India was among the first nations to approach the White House for trade talks earlier this year, it has recently toughened its stance in negotiations. India's Ministry of Commerce and Industry didn't immediately respond to an email seeking further comment. 'They have expressed strong interest in opening portions of their market, we of course are willing to continue talking to them,' Greer said. 'But I think we need some more negotiations on that with our Indian friends to see how ambitious they want to be.' He spoke a few days after Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said he was optimistic that an agreement could be reached to avert threatened tariffs of 26%. Goyal insisted there weren't any sticking points in the US-India relationship, and said that immigration rules — including those around H-1B visas for skilled workers — had not come up in talks. Greer did not say what would happen if no deal was reached with India by the White House's deadline. US President Donald Trump has touted zero tariffs in the preliminary agreements with the European Union and Japan, while promising to impose even higher duties on Aug. 1 for countries that haven't cut deals. Follow Bloomberg India on WhatsApp for exclusive content and analysis on what billionaires, businesses and markets are doing. Sign up here. Trump has separately threatened to hit countries like India and China with 'secondary tariffs' for buying oil from Russia. As part of its trade negotiations, India has expressed willingness to offer zero tariffs on some goods like auto components and pharmaceuticals, while barriers on sectors like agriculture and dairy remain red lines it won't breach in the final agreement, Bloomberg News reported earlier this month. 'The thing to understand with India is their trade policy for a very long time has been premised on strongly protecting their domestic market. That's just how they do business' Greer said. 'And the president is in a mode of wanting deals that substantially open other markets, that they open everything or near everything.' Slow Business The uncertainty on India-US trade agreement has slowed business activity in some sectors, with industries from gems to toys and textiles witnessing order suspensions. Kanodia Global, a manufacturer and exporter of home fabrics and textiles to the US, said customers including Walmart Inc. are turning cautious and holding out on giving large orders. US buyers want shorter delivery time as they don't want their money stuck while the final tariff rate changes, said the company's director Ashish Kanodia. 'Our orders are stuck in limbo. If certainty is there, we will be able to move forward.' Sabyasachi Ray, executive director at The Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council, also expressed concern over weak business. 'People are tired,' he said. 'We will be highly affected. But something has to come, so we will see.' (Updates with more details from 13th paragraph) Burning Man Is Burning Through Cash It's Not Just Tokyo and Kyoto: Tourists Descend on Rural Japan Cage-Free Eggs Are Booming in the US, Despite Cost and Trump's Efforts Everyone Loves to Hate Wind Power. Scotland Found a Way to Make It Pay Off Elon Musk's Empire Is Creaking Under the Strain of Elon Musk ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
